Danny care
At Aubin, we are rugby super fans. Ed the Kiwi in Aubin HQ leads the charge, closely followed by the Silvester Twins’ with their big brother David - fitness coach for Fiji Rugby. So we thought it only fair that England get a bit of a look in for a change. So ladies and gentlemen, may we introduce you to the 101 cap England rugby legend that is our great friend, scrum half Danny Care.
We met up with Danny in the podcast studio of our chums at @sohohouse on Dean Street in Soho
to talk about all things rugby. And actually, all things post rugby. A titan of the sport, Danny is a true gentleman, albeit one with a twinkle in his eye and
a well-documented naughty streak that we love.
A northerner by birth (a fact which also gets a thumbs up in our Shoreditch HQ), Danny grew up in Leeds, and had his head turned first by the round ball, signing for Sheffield Wednesday. But such is the allure of the hooligan’s game played by gentlemen with funny shaped balls, he soon switched codes and found himself aged 19 heading south to join the mighty Harlequins RFC in Twickenham.
Danny, is now 38 years old. Which means as well as amassing a century of caps for England, he has made nearly 400 appearances for Harlequins where he has loyally played for two decades. And being honest, this is why we love him.
At Aubin we pride ourselves on building long term relationships with people across our whole business that are brilliant at what they do and that we really like and trust. (This applies first and foremost to our suppliers, many of whom we’ve known and worked with for even longer than Danny has played at ‘Quins). And the sort of people who share this philosophy, whatever walk of life they come from, tend to be the kind of people that we get on well with.
So, it’s no surprise, that a man of Danny’s loyalty, talent, work ethic and just all-round likeability, is a man who fits our mould to a (kicking) tee.
Rugby is the ultimate team sport. No other sport gets near it for being only as strong as your weakest link. If you’ve got Lionel Messi on your football team, you’ll probably win, however hapless your defence is. If you’ve got Joe Root and Alistair Cook opening the batting for you, it doesn’t really matter how bad your bowlers are, you’ll probably notch up a couple of centuries. But, in rugby, unless your tighthead prop is as in-tune with your fly half and your full back as the strings and percussion need to be in an orchestra, it just doesn’t work.
Central to all of this is the scrum half. Small, brave, strong, fast and often a bit gobby. That’s what makes a good scrum half. But as the conductor of the rugby orchestra, they not only have to play their own game, they are the lynchpin between forwards and backs. Hustling, cajoling, communicating all the time, even when their body is creaking and their lungs are bursting.
It is a very difficult position to play well. And even harder to keep. Competition from a range of other small, brave, strong, fast and very gobby competitors is intense and never far away. So, the fact that Danny has been at the top of the game in this fiercely competitive position for as long as he has, is testament to his talent and his resilience.
But at 38, old for a top-flight rugby player, but too young for pipe and slippers, there’s life in this old dog yet. During a period of injury aged 24, Danny was asked by ITV to do some rugby commentary work. By his own admission, quite risky for them to bet on someone so young. Not only a new challenge and skill needed, but also a political challenge – how do you make honest commentary about players who are peers and team mates without it sounding like sour grapes? Not straightforward, but brilliantly insightful for the audience. It’s testament to Danny’s outstanding communication skills that he managed to run this tightrope so well.
Balancing his long and illustrious career on the pitch with off the pitch media is not straightforward. But, now retired from international duty, he is starting to
think about life post on-pitch duty. He has launched a rugby loving all sports YouTube show called Hits Different. Brilliantly entertaining with a range of superb guests, insight and insider gossip. A must watch and listen.
It was an absolute pleasure chatting with DC. If you’re that way inclined, you can while away many hours chatting about sport. And in my case, rugby. Which had we had the studio for long enough, I would willingly have done.
But after we parted, I couldn’t help musing over one topic in particular which is close to our hearts at Aubin. That of experience. Danny has it in spades, it’s what comes from a couple of decades at the coal face. Even though his ability to spring out of bed in the morning without pulling a hamstring may not be what it was,
his in-depth knowledge of the game, and all the many facets that go with it both on the pitch and off the pitch really are second to none. There may be more sprightly 18 year olds appearing in the changing room these days, but without doubt he’d be our first name on the team sheet.
Listen to his podcast, watch his YouTube channel and buy his book.
They all get a big thumbs up from us.
